tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post2601049456699340277..comments2024-02-25T20:07:56.114-06:00Comments on Mr. Verb: World's Weirdest Language UpdateMr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-34933877674986372652013-07-07T14:06:44.809-05:002013-07-07T14:06:44.809-05:00Well, it's not just that European languages ha...Well, it's not just that European languages have 'weird' features. The original article pretty clearly makes the point that English is pretty seriously 'weird' by the relevant criteria. Joenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-91068676262982247182013-07-07T13:55:21.652-05:002013-07-07T13:55:21.652-05:00Wow, Paula Deen? Seriously?
Actually, for lingui...Wow, Paula Deen? Seriously?<br /><br />Actually, for linguists, 'weird' typically includes features like verb-initial word order, something that Mixtec shares with Celtic languages, or the double definiteness of some kinds of Scandinavian have or the complementizer agreement patterns found widely in German and Dutch dialects. I'm not sure who counts as whiter or more European than the Celts, Norwegian, Swedes, Germans and Dutch. Mr. Verbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-75039426886051851902013-07-04T17:26:17.511-05:002013-07-04T17:26:17.511-05:00They're speakers of Nenets, which is mentioned...They're speakers of Nenets, which is mentioned in the article as the <i>second</i>-weirdest language. Here's the source:<br /><br />http://216.169.248.35/detail/news-photo/two-nenets-women-chat-while-one-of-them-rocks-the-cradle-of-news-photo/52378799<br /><br />So presumably the photo was intended to illustrate Nenets, rather than Chalcatongo Mixtex or 'some random people who speak a language we don't know anything about,' but nobody bothered to include a caption to that effect.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-6505988844300407112013-07-04T13:23:31.806-05:002013-07-04T13:23:31.806-05:00I will hazard a guess and say that the picture is ...I will hazard a guess and say that the picture is of a couple of Chukchi ladies dressed up in traditional clothing for the camera. It’s a recent picture given the gal holding the coffee cup.James Crippenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10927937760368098278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-30037070277509925412013-07-03T16:47:09.338-05:002013-07-03T16:47:09.338-05:00This is such a pervasive problem that it seems tha...This is such a pervasive problem that it seems that it's time to come together and figure out a way to educate people — and not just for the sake of us linguists, but also for the sake of those who cooperate with us to help us understand their fascinating languages.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03514883770328968895noreply@blogger.com